One of the greatest achievements of the Industrial Revolution has been the ability to mass-produce goods. This made it possible for goods to be available to a wider audience. It made goods more affordable. It made luxury and rare goods into common conveniences.
As grandiose as it may sound — mass production has changed lives. After all, the mass production of computers is helping you read this article!
So what are the mass production examples in history and today that have made a great difference in our world?
Let’s start with the car:
1. Move Over Buggy
It was only a little over a century ago that the developed world depended on “buggies” or horse-driven carriages for travel. The car was a luxury only afforded to the rich. A passing car was a novelty and a rarity — just as we look at space travel today.
It was only with the mass production of the car that we can get from Point A to Point B much faster. In the developed world, cars are available to the average person even if they are poor.
In the less developed world, cars remain a luxury however they are much more available than before. All this is thanks to mass production.
2. Parts
Factories all over the world are also responsible for making parts. Parts are the individual components needed to create goods. It’s because of the mass production of parts that more goods in a number of industries can be made.
Because there are more parts available for cell phone batteries, more cell phones can be made. Because there are more parts of stainless steel available, more scissors can be made.
This is often overlooked and you might like to learn more about the benefits of parts here.
3. Clothing
Fewer people have to worry about just the shirt on their backs because of the mass production of clothing. While there are still places that make clothes by hand, this is rare and is now a specialty.
But handmade clothes were once the norm throughout the world. If you lived in an area that didn’t have a local tailor, you couldn’t expect to have an abundance of clothing.
With the advent of mass production, clothes are not only produced en masse but they get distributed on masse. It’s because of this that even in the poorest regions of the world, clothes are more widely available than ever before.
4. Books
The printing press is another example of mass production. The printing press invented by Johannes Gutenberg was made centuries prior to the industrial revolution.
However, mass production has made it easier to produce millions of copies of a book. It’s because of the mass production of books that more people have access to knowledge. It’s because of this that opportunities to improve literacy have also catapulted.
What Other Mass Production Examples Do You Know?
Now that you have read about 4 of the most important mass production examples, can you think of any more? Think about the things that have changed your life that is a result of increased mass production throughout history.
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